James has either been MIA, pushed to the background, or given tiny snippets of screen time throughout Supergirl Season 2.

Because of that, viewers simply stopped caring about him. Honestly, did anyone miss him during the phenomenal Supergirl Season 2 Episode 19? No? Didn't think so.

It's not because James is a horrible character, or because Mechad Brooks is a bad actor. Neither are true, but the storytelling struggled to include him.

Guardian was always off on his own, even after his secret finally came out. He never joined Kara or became a part of the DEO team, so he just wasn't necessary.

Putting him in charge of CatCo was even worse. Cat Grant has some pretty big shoes to fill.

But, finally, James had a chance to shine.

James: Guardian is not...He's not this beacon of hope that I thought he would be. I mean, basically all I'm doing is beating people up. Winn: Whoa, dude, we are doing a lot of good here. We're making a difference. James: I mean, Supergirl, Superman, they're making a difference. They're changing hearts and minds. They inspire people. Guardian inspires fear.

This is the guy who got through to Kara when she was doubting herself. This is the guy who reminded Kara that she doesn't need her powers to be a hero. Maybe all he needed was to take his own advice from Supergirl Season 1 Episode 7:

When you take a picture of someone, it's permanent. And you've captured the truth of them in that moment, and that you can keep forever. And, the truth of this moment is that you don't even need powers to be a hero.

He doesn't need super powers. He doesn't need a mask. He just needs to be the caring, empathetic person who got through to Kara back then and to Marcus now.

If we're being honest, the mask is a little scary. That's not the real issue of course, but he could just get a new, less scary looking mask.

I mean, Clark and Kara show their faces. Their disguise is literally a pair of glasses. Is it really necessary for Guardian to look like the Terminator?

Obviously, his head isn't as bulletproof as theirs, but just put on a motorcycle helmet and a pair of sunglasses and call it a day.

Seriously though, all we ever needed was for James to stop being an outsider and be part of the team. Nobody wanted a Guardian spin-off. We needed James to complement Kara, not distract the focus away from her.

Whatever happens next, I want you to remember never to doubt yourself again. You are a marvel, Lena. Any mother should be proud to call you daughter.

I hated that Lena let herself be played, but considering her mommy issues, it's understandable. Rhea gave her the encouragement that she never received but always desired from Lillian, and it broke through all of her defenses and common sense.

But still, the two of them sharing the screen together was magical.

How much do we wish Mon-El had pulled that trigger?

It wouldn't have stopped the hundreds of Daxamite ships from coming through the portal, but it sure would have been satisfying. Too bad J'onn was out of commission and unable to tell him that she was lying about his father, but he should have been able to figure that one out on his own.

We were left with all kinds of questions, like where the heck did Rhea just take them?

Wherever it is, she took Lena with her. Why?

Does she still need her? That seems unlikely. The portal served its purpose.

No. I think we have to assume that she legitimately cares about her and sees her as a daughter.

Hey! Maybe her next ploy will be to force Mon-El to marry her so she really can be her daughter!

Can Daxamite royalty marry a human? Rhea will obviously see her as a better choice than Kara, anyway.

If this turns into some sort of reality show/shotgun wedding situation, I'm out.

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James: Guardian is not...He's not this beacon of hope that I thought he would be. I mean, basically all I'm doing is beating people up. Winn: Whoa, dude, we are doing a lot of good here. We're making a difference. James: I mean, Supergirl, Superman, they're making a difference. They're changing hearts and minds. They inspire people. Guardian inspires fear.

Maybe she should give him like some action figures, right? Like if someone had given me action figures when they interrogated me about my dad when I was 10, I would have sung like a canary. I'm just saying.